US invites new Chinese foreign minister for visit after predecessor ousted

The U.S. has invited China’s newly reappointed foreign minister Wang Yi, a week after China ousted Qin Gang from his post, according to State Department spokesperson Matt Miller.

In a news briefing Tuesday, Miller confirmed the U.S. extended the invitation to Yi that was previously made to Gang, who served as China’s foreign minister for the past seven months. Gang’s removal was approved at a usually scheduled meeting last week, with leaders providing little reason to the public. 

When asked if Yi accepted the invitation, Miller said he would let the Chinese government answer that, but he noted the U.S. expects the trip is “something they would accept.” Miller said the U.S. expects the trip to happen, though a date has not been set.

Miller said the invitation was extended Monday during a meeting between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink and Yang Tao, director general of the North American and Oceanian Affairs Department, which followed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s high-stakes trip to China in June and a recent meeting in July with Yi in Indonesia. 

During June’s meeting in Beijing, Blinken spoke with Chinese leaders on addressing issues together through joint Working Groups, while emphasizing the importance of working with China to curb fentanyl production and exports.

Miller said Tuesday the U.S. is continuing to “make progress,” on fentanyl talks with China, but he does not have any “concrete results” at this point. 

“We’re not at the point of establishing the fentanyl working group which as you know, has been a major priority for us and we continue to press the Chinese side to agree, but we did feel it was important to continue the conversations,” Miller said. “That was something we thought we had established in the meetings in Beijing.”

“We are committed to continuing to work because the issues on which we need to cooperate with China we think are important, just as the issues in which we need to raise concerns with them are important,” he continued.  

When asked, Miller told reporters he did not know if conversations about enlisting China’s support with the detainment of Travis King took place at Monday’s meeting. North Korea detained King last month while visiting the border with South Korea as a civilian on a tour. 

The Associated Press contributed.